Effective Hive Inspections
The speaker got into beekeeping in the 70s after taking a course at Cornell University.
- They kept bees in the late 70s and early 80s but stopped until two years ago when they retired and got back into it.
- In their first year back, their hive swarmed and did not survive the winter.
- Last year, they bought two packages and successfully split them into three hives, which all survived the winter.
- The speaker uses a smoker to calm and confuse the bees when opening the hives.
- They check for the presence of the queen and her consistent laying of eggs to ensure the hive is healthy.
- The speaker notes some issues with the bees building comb above the foundation and the presence of queen cups.
- They harvested three and a half gallons of honey last year, which can sell for around $10 per pound.
The speaker got into beekeeping in the 70s after taking a course at Cornell University. After letting the hobby go for a while, he got back into it two years ago after retiring. He bought two packages and started three hives, which all survived the winter. In the video, he demonstrates how to use a smoker to calm the bees before opening up the hives to check on the queen and see if she is laying eggs. He also explains the different stages of brood and how to identify queen cups, which are used by the worker bees to replace the queen.
The speaker notes that beekeeping can be a profitable hobby, with honey selling for around $10 a pound, and it is possible to scale up to make it a full-time job. He also cautions against letting bees build comb too far away from the foundation, which can make it difficult to remove the frames and harvest honey.